Number two, um, I think our data would really support this. I haven't had a chance to hold that, but I would really strongly recommend our program going to program. That's very common in um a lot of schools. We run our program actually more than most places. A lot of places don't start their program until like well into September and they close it at the end of April. We start our program on day one of school and we end our program on the last day that we're in session. Um but as I said staffing is a problem and right now so I was supposed to run three teachers every day and three parents every day on Fridays. For the last two years it's been myself teaching and teaching. So, two and then like this year I have two pairs that work Friday. Nobody wants to work on Fridays and our attendance is lower on Fridays because a lot of kids just go home.
Um, so a huge thank you to Clara Barton who donated two clo two cases of uh Kleenexes to us. Um, my athletic report, we have high school scholars bowl wrapped up their season this last week. They went to Pliner for regionals. Um, junior high scholars bowl will begin this Thursday already. Uh, we get done with high junior high basketball and turnaround right around scholar bowl which is great. Um, the junior high basketball teams ended ended their seasons this last week. The 18 boys uh made it to the championship game and brought home the first place. Um high school will play in the first CPL basketball tournament in Kinsley this next week. Um and of league now. Um and this is the first time that we've done a CPL league tournament for basketball. So if you remember the state of Kansas um opened those three more games up.
In science, Miss Klein describes Meina as a very reliable student who can always be counted on to show up and do her work. Meena's consistency, positive attitude, and commitment to both her academics and her peers make her deserving eighth grade student of the month. Congratulations. >> Julia Sagundo is the freshman class student of the month for January 2026. We're very proud to recognize Julia as um Julia is the daughter of Winona Juan and Kenneth Sagundo and she consistently demonstrates maturity, leadership, and strong commitment to learning. Julia's teachers describe her as an outstanding and well-rounded student. In Autoshop, Mr. Nllum shares that Julia is always prepared, engaged, and respectful, taking on leadership roles and excelling in hands-on learning. In math, Miss Sedora highlights Julia's strong skills, attentiveness, and ability to work independently and collaboratively with care and responsibility. Mr. Cigan notes that despite being a freshman, Julia shows maturity beyond her years, takes initiative, and leads by example among her peers.
Um, it's one of the things that I think everybody needs but doesn't necessarily want because of what it reminds them why we're there. Um, but it it's really valuable. Um, Mike's been doing a great job with some of the first aid and enhancing some of that training. Um, and then just re reiterating the safety things of how to lock down properly and you know ideas on what to do with 30 kids to keep them quiet for two hours if we're in a real lockdown, which is a challenge I'm glad I don't have to deal with personally. Um, some of the law related education the guys have been doing. um bullying, what really is bullying and then how we can deal with it unfortunately vaping middle school and high school especially and then some at my level with the third to fifth graders. Uh truency which as a district we're awesome.
I have my thank you slide next, but you know, I can just say that part. Um, but you know, and as I was going through that job, I was realizing that's what I was interviewing people about and that drastic change in time, which does come with a lot of stress, but Stevenson students love to do it because it's things that they're passionate about. They love talking about it. They love to do tennis. They love to their club, so they want to pursue leadership things. These are things that student Stevenson students love to do. And I just think it's amazing that they get to experience that and get to handle what it's like to balance two things at once. And so that is what I learned from my talk about me Tuesday today. I was about to click through the next slide and then I realized that it's not up there.
>> All right. Thank you, sir. >> The end of the board meeting, too. Are you guys ready to wrap it up already? We >> we have to go into close session. >> All right. Well, thank you. Thank you. All right. Uh, I didn't know if I read this, but the next regularly scheduled board meeting will take place on Monday, March 9th with close session beginning at 6 p.m. Um, can I please have a motion to move to close session for the purposes of appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, dismissal, litigations, negotiations, and property? >> Motion. >> Second. >> Joe and Tiffany. All in favor? >> I. Any oppose?
>> Hi, I'm Alen Bucher. I'm a senior at Dallas Grove North. I'm going to go to College of DuPage for sports management. The experience was so great. I met a new friend called Xavier McMahon. We be friends for a long time through a football player. I thought it was not like only varsity players got all the rest, but everyone gets all the reps from JV to vi and it's like a great experience. Everyone bonds over and it's so amazing. >> Uh hello, my name's Ethan Duc. I'm a junior at Adonners Grove North. Uh I was someone who participated in the IHSA regionals last year before we had a team. So, I was very stoked to hear that we could fortunately have a team this year. I was also someone who uh asked Mr. Gullen when I tried out for soccer freshman year when we were going to have a bowling team and [laughter] Dax about that.
So, right after school is officially let out and before ESY begins, which I believe is January 2nd, we have a small window where we're able to provide institute days for our staff and build their capacity in to be ready for ESY. We also work very closely with transportation, not just ESY, but summer connections as well because we really are running a fullscale um summer opportunities for multiple programs within the district. Um pretty soon the registration for ESY will open up. Um families are invited to participate in that during the IEP process. Um we will be hiring again and we hired for the site coordinators. Very soon we will be hiring for uh the staff and the related services, the nursing supports that will be needed during this time and then case managers continue to work very closely with the team and families to communicate the timeline for ESY.
And so for Genius Hour was um Miss Howard's idea, but we got um in touch with the teachers who would be able to help us for this. And we already have an empty space upstairs where it's going to work out. And um yeah, >> that's awesome. So hopefully you can pass a torch on to, you know, future generations to continue that on. U Molly, I'm so excited. Hopefully when you that book gets done, we can hopefully be able to read it and see it. That's very exciting. And then the National Honor Society, congratulations. That's a big achievement and I hope you guys Thank you for all you do and hope to see more great things.
>> No judgment. So, >> I do want to say all three of those did outstanding at their regional BPA meeting and will be going to state in March. >> Congratulations. >> I'm not surprised. And one additional thing I do want to add that the sports magazine I did very very little if besides packaging it and that's because my computer could package better but these three and Owen who happens to be in an IU basketball game right now decided >> they boil up right >> they won't hold it against it all from start to finish and I couldn't be more proud of that. >> That's great. >> Yeah. >> Where are these printed? National um the National River Walk. Yeah. >> Okay. Yeah. >> And Isabelle called and got quotes and things and we tried to do local but they couldn't do what we needed. >> Yeah.
Any questions on any of those items? >> Is the Dad and daughter dance a high school function. >> No, it's Well, you could I guess a high school dad could take >> My daughter at a junior would never go to >> No, it's it's a it's a junior class fundraiser, but for it's for a little Yeah, I did tell my daughter. She said, "We did that when I was in school." So, we can still go. She's 21. Let's go. But yeah, it's for that's for younger kids, but it's a it's a fundraiser for the junior class. So, is what it is. So, good question. I know your wheels were turning down there. >> Might be too many people. >> All right. So, I have a motion to second. All in favor? >> I. >> None opposed. Congratulations, Josh. Look forward to soccer season. >> Looking forward to it, too.
So, this has been a great um field trip. And then, um, of course, kids getting fossils, which is the highlight. >> They they get to bring home a fossil that they can fit in. Some of them think that their hands are this big. [laughter] We have the but is a good thing. And some of our kids parents actually work out there. So, that's makes it kind of fun, too. All right. Okay. So, another thing that we do in the fall, [cough] we talk [clears throat] about Indiana's region. And so this is a big project with the kids when they come in in August. Oh, what do we need to do our map? So we send this home and then have to come up with the different things to show the different regions. And so this is kind of a fun take-home project that we do.
In other words, they will begin calling our list of individuals, and they will not stop calling until they have gotten a hold of someone. make that report. So, um this right now we're relying on our secretaries to see that this is an instantaneous situation. Once the reports made, it's automatically immediately funneled to people through the email process or through text message. >> How do we get the information out there to the parents? >> So, that like I said, we're going through social media. We'll send that out there. And then as well, we will send that out there through uh um let me let me ask you a question. where you talk about how they do it. How do we get the information out to the parents for the Oh, okay. So, yeah, that would be shared through social media. It'll also be on a web page as well.
You referenced two, you went out and I appreciate the fact that we're going to have better equipment. They can come in. But I think that going out is an important aspect. Going from 250 to 500, are you going to be able to find enough spots for them, if you will, to to go out and visit? I mean do you think that will be an issue or a problem for you cuz I know it is with nursing at at higher ed and some different pl that's difficult many times. So would that be something you think? >> Yeah. So that was actually whenever we started this process man it's been over five six years ago at this point maybe even longer. We sat down and looked at what do we think would be a sustainable number of students that could actually be serviced by these facilities. And so we worked with our community partners we worked with Deaconist.
And it's a true display of friendship. Okay. Our cross categorical teacher whom Mrs. Starky knows well is Abigail Curé and she and her IAS Emma Brown and Bella Popejoy work with our special education students that have more mild disabilities. These students spend most of their day learning alongside their peers in the general education classroom. But just because their disabilities are more mild doesn't mean that their struggles don't have a significant impact on their progression of learning. So, Miss Karee and her IAS work closely with our classroom teachers, and they provide them with targeted academic support, behavioral strategies, and organizational tools that will help those students build independence and confidence when they're in the GenEd classroom. Here's some fun little pictures of them. Abby, Emma, and Bella greet students again every morning. They help them get to their classrooms successfully because some struggle with that, as you can imagine.
And I'd like to thank the township as well for uh the advocacy institute opportunity. It was hit the ground running. Um it was an honor to be able to advocate with our colleagues in Marian County on their school boards. It went really well and there were great conversations about why the need for IDEIDA funding is needed uh with our senators and congressmen on both sides of the aisle just sharing the personal stories of the work that our staff and our district do for all of our kids. Dr. Smith, >> you love this time of the year, Madame President and board. It is basketball season in Indiana. We still love basketball and you are the defending state champions and so [clears throat] we do have the other team that's in the title. Matt March Grant Nesb let the board know what we have coming up. >> Sure.
It dries quickly. Then we found a solution successfully solution. We designed this wash my hand stamp and loaded it with our fancy silly soap ink. Our next step will be designing and building a classroom stamp station that holds the auto stamper and other healthy features. Would anyone on the school committee like to test test out our prototype and get a silly soap stamp? We hope it will wash off easily after your meeting is over. If not, let us know because we are still in the research and development phase. [laughter] >> So, in other words, you're looking for sweet. >> Any volunteers? >> All right, we have Walter with our our silly soap stamper loaded up. >> It goes on the back of your hand. >> I'll do it, too. >> Hang on. Let me put it down. Okay. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Good idea.
IDA, Kelly, you'll like this $20 million increase. Rural education, that is not us. Head Start Child Care Development, $85 million. Um the EIR took a huge hit, but that's less less impactful at the dis at the school level, more about uh for district and decision makers um where a lot of we a lot of our research and data comes from to make decisions and then um K12 levels are set are funded at the fiscal 25 funding level. So, um, in terms of the title grants, it looks like, uh, I don't see anything about title two, title four, but it looks like they're stable according to this. Still digging in to finding out all the different grants that go fall in between these grants to make sure that they're stable. Um, still leaving that 500k on the table to offset anything. But outside of the federal government and Congress, which um you know seems to I have you know this remember because of our enrollment and our our second language learner category that is extra weighted in the formulas it could go down because of enrollment even if Congress maintains our funding levels.
So, I feel like there is less that they need. I'm not saying there aren't some kids there on Fridays that probably still need that place to go. But when I consulted with Lupus about this, um I just think if you want to have if we want to continue to say like we're having a quality program, we really have to our program and it's really hard to say you have a quality program when you only have two people willing to teach on that day in my opinion. So I also would recommend that our program only move forward four days a week in our request. Um and then just another change is that federal mandate is that no fees can be collected for programs next year. So like it's free. The only funding source we will have is the grant. We have the fees based program forever.
So this is the way that we're attacking our three extra games. Um the last thing I have on there is just the National FFA week is uh the 23rd through the 27th. Um and then those are the activities that they're doing. They're painting hay bales. Uh they're doing that teacher member breakfast. They're giving goodie bags to their student their uh group. They are doing a soda bar for all the students and a scavenger hunt and they have some class games. Um some of the other pictures I added for you are from the reality event um in Ellenwood. Thank you. Item number nine is a facility request. So, we were contacted um earlier this year whenever all the schools were going through their next two-year rotation for their football scheduling uh by Frankfurt and also Stanton County. So they are interested in using our facility, our football film locker rooms to host Stan County.